Geared axle drive



Mardl 1943- J. c. RHOADS GREASED ,AXLE DRIVE Filed may 16. 1941 I 2SheQtsPSheet 1 Inventor James C. Rhods,

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Patented Mar. 2, 1943 GEARED AXLE nmvE James C. Rhoafls, Erie, Pa.,assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New Yo'rlApplication May 16, 1941, e i l NO- 3 3519 6 Claims.

My invention relates to geared railway axle drives, and particularly toan improved construction for providing an efficient geared drive andsupporting structure which facilitates disconnecting the mechanicaldrive between the axle and the driving motor.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved geared axle driveand lubricating arrangement.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent andmy invention will be better understood from the following descriptionreferring to the accompanying drawings, and the features of noveltywhich characterize my invention will be pointed outwith particularity inthe claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a truck partly broken away andillustrates a railway axle drive embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is aside elevational view of the truck shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is anenlarged partial plan view in section illustrating the improvedgearedaxle drive shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 4 is a sectional viewillustrating an improved arrangement for removing the driving gear fromthe shaft of the motor shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a railway truck provided withside frames l con.- nected together intermediate the ends thereof by atransversely extending bolster I I provided with a center bearing platel2 which is adapted't'o support the center bearing of a railway vehicleframe. The side frames H] are formed with pedestal jaws l3 adjacent eachend thereof which are arranged about journal boxes I4 and are securedtogether at the lower ends thereof by tie bars 5. The truck frame isresiliently supported by a plurality of coil springs l6 which engagespring seats H on the side frames 10 and spring seats M3 onlongitudinally extending equalizers l9. The-ends of the equalizers I9are supported on the upper surfaces of the journal boxes l4 arrangedabout the ends of driving axles 29. These axles are supported by wheels2i and are adapted to be driven by electric motors 22 arranged one oneach side of the bolster H. The motor 22' is provided with a stationaryfield structure 23 which is adapted to cooperate electrodynamicallywitha rotatable member 24 provided with a driving shaft 25.

Fig. 3 more clearly illustrates the gear drive, which includes a pinionspur gear 26 mounted on the motor drive shaft arranged in engagementwith a reduction gear 2'! mounted on a countershaft .28 on which asecond reduction ear 29 i mounted and arranged in'engagement with anaxle gear 30 mounted on the driving axle 28. A gear casing isarrangedabout this gearing and is-provided with .side walls 3| and 32 havingannular sleeves 33 and 3.4 on which sleeve bearings 35 and'36,respectively, aremounted. These bearings 35 and 3.6 are arranged aboutthe axle 20 and are adaptedito support an'end of'the gear casingthereon; -Ajplura"lity of annular flange 31 and 38 is formed on thegearcasing and arranged in axially spaced apart relationship .With respectto labyrinth seals ,39'mounte'd on the axle 20. and are adapted tominimize the passage of foreign substances to the bearings 35 and 36.The oppo site end of the gear casing is resiliently suspended from thebolster II by a link 40 which is pivotally secured by a pin 4.!iextending between a pair of flanges 42 formed onthe gear casing. Aspring 43 is arranged between aspring seat 44 on the lower .end of thelink 4,0 'and on the underside of thebolster H, soas to cushion relativevertical movements between the bolster H and the end of the gear casing.A second compression .coil spring 43 is arranged between a spring seatwasher 44' mounted adjacent the upper endof the link 40 and a fiangel Isecured to the bolster II for supporting the adjacent end of the gearcasing on the bolster as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The countershaft 8,issupported byanti-friction roller bearings 46 and Almounted in removablebearing housing caps .48 and .4.9 secured'by bolts 50and ,5Iin openingsformed inthe sides 3! and 32, respectively, of the gear casing. 4

Under certain, operatingconditions, it becomes desirable ,to' disconnectthe mechanical connection betweenthe axle .20 and the driving motor 22to preventdamage to the motor or the gearing. In order'to Tfacilitate.this operation, an opening;52 is formed. in the side of the gearcasing. 32 awayfrom the motorjand is made larger than the motorpinion'gearlfi and coaxial therewith, .so that this fgear may readily'be passed through this opening. A' bearing housing cover plate.53 isremovably secured by bolts '54 over the opening 52so asltoprovide 'aclosure for this opening and Ya bearing housing for an anti-frictionroller bearing 55 which is adapted to support one end ofthe motor shaft25. Thi s'be aring is provided withan outer race- 55 in whichthe rollers55are mounted between a pair of radially extending flanges and the race56 is' secured within the bearing housing cap '53 v between "a flange eaietaming plate '58 which is bolted tothe bearing housing- 53%;: bolts59. in this manner, the outer bearing race 51 and the antifrictionroller bearing 55 is secured as a unit in the bearing housing coverplate 53 and is adapted to be assembled and disassembled as a unit withthis cover plate. The bearing 55 is provided with an inner race 60 whichis mounted on the motor shaft 25 and secured in position thereon betweenan axially extending threaded sleeve 6| formed on the pinion gear-26 anda retainer plate 62 se-.

cured to the end of the shaft 25 by a plurality of bolts 63. No otherbearing is provided for supporting this end of the motor 25 except thebearing 55, and this construction minimizes the number of bearings andprovides a more compact axle drive construction. The other end of therotatable member 24 of the motor is supported in a bearing arranged in abearing cap 65 mounted on the motor 22. The end of the stationary memberof the motor 22 adjacent the gear casing is l secured by a plurality ofbolts 66 to the side 3| of the gear casing, and ventilation of the motoris provided by a fan 61 which is adapted to draw air through the motorand expel it through a plurality of openings 68 formed in the gearcasing adjacent the end of the motor. An annular flange 69 is formed onthe fan 61 and arranged between flanges of a labyrinth seal 10 tominimize the passage of lubricant from the gear casing along a shaft tothe motor. A plurality of slinger ring flanges H is formed on the hub ofthe fan 61 so as to throw off by centrifugal force any lubricant whichmay pass along the shaft 25 toward the fan 61. The openings in thelabyrinth seal 10 and the slinger ring'flanges H are of larger diameterthan the gear 25, thereby enabling the replacement of the driving motor,if this is required by some electrical failure, without'disturbing thegear drive assembly on the vehicle axle, merely by removing the bolts 66and horizontally moving the motor and driving gear assembly axially awayfrom the gear casing. A new motor and driving gear may then be assembledin'driving position and secured by the bolts 66 without further delay.With this construction, the gear casing is adapted to provide alubricant reservoir for lubricating the gears 'of the gear reductionunit by conventional dip lubrication and lubricating the bearings whichsupport the gear casing on the axle, the bearings which support thecountershaft and the gear, and motor bearing 55 by splash lubrication ofthe gears in the lubricant of the gear casing.

As has been stated, under certain conditions it is desirable to breakthe mechanical connection between the axle 20 and the motor shaft 25,and this may readily be done in this construction by removal of' thepinion driving gear 26 from the motor drive shaft 25. In order 'toremove the gear 25 from the shaft 25, the bearing housing cover plate 53is unbolted from the gear casing and removed, together with the outerrace 56 and the roller bearings 55. The retainer plate .62 then isunbolted from the end'of the motor shaft 25, and a center bearing plug12 is secured to the end of the shaft 25 by a screw 13. A cupshaped gearpuller 14 having an internally threaded end portion 15 then is screwedover the threaded sleeve portion 6| of the gear 26 and a bolt 16 whichthreadedly engages an end portion 11 of the gear puller 14 is screwedintothe gear puller until the end of the bolt engages the center plug12. The bolt 16 then is tightly drawn up and is turned until the gear 26is loosened from its press fit on the motor shaft 25. This opera: tionalso removes the inner race 50 of the roller bearing 55 from the shaft25, as this inner race is made slightly smaller than the threaded sleeve6| of the gear 26 and also slightly smaller than the inner bore 18 ofthe gear puller 14. After the gear 26 has been removed from the motorshaft 25, the inner sleeve 60 of the bearing may be replaced on theshaft 25 and the bearing housing cover plate 53, together with thebearing 55 may be reassembled as a unit about the inner race 66' toprovide a supportfor this end of the rotatable member 24 of the motor.This construction provides an improved lubricating arrangement for thegears and the various bearings of the axle drive construction and anarrangement which driving shaft.

facilitates assembly and disassembly of the motor driving pinion gear 26for mechanically connecting and disconnecting the axle from the motorThis construction also minimizes the number of bearings required forsupporting the motor and its driving gear without necessitating the useof an overhung driving gear on the'motor shaft.

While I have illustrated and described a particular embodiment of myinvention, modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art.I desire it to be understood, therefore, that my invention is not to belimited to the particular arrangement disclosed, and I intend in theappended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from thespirit and scop of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is: l a

1. An axle drive including an axle with an axle gear thereon, a drivingmotor having a drive shaft, gearing including a gear mounted on saidmotor shaft for driving said axle gear, a'gear casingabout said gears,an opening larger than said motor shaft gear formed in a side of saidgear casing away from said motor substantially coaxially with said motorshaft gear, a bearing housing cover plate removably secured to said gearcasing for closing said opening, and a bearing arranged to support eachend of said motor shaft, one of said bearings being arranged in saidbearing housing cover plate to support an end of said motor shaft andsaid motor shaft gear.

2. An axle drive including an axle with an axle gear thereon, a drivingmotor having a drive shaft, gearing including a gear mounted on saidmotor shaft for driving said axle gear, a gear casing about said gears,an opening larger than said motor shaft gear formed in a side of saidgear casing away from said motor substantially coaxially with said motorshaft gear, a bearing housing cover plate removably secured to said gearcasing for closing said opening,and a bearing arranged to supporteach'end of saidmotor shaft, one of said bearings being an anti-frictionbearing for supporting an end of said motor shaft and having an innerrace mounted on said motor shaft and an outer race mounted on said gearcasing bearing housing'cover plate, said outer race and anti-frictionbearing being'secured as a unit to said bearing housing cover plate andbeing removable therewith from said casing.

3. An axle drive including an axle with an axle gear thereon, a driving,motor having a drive shaft, gearing including a gear mounted on saidmotor shaft for-driving said axle gear, a gear casing about said gears,an opening larger than said motor shaft gear formed in a side of saidgear casing away from said motor substantially coaxially with said motorshaft gear, a bearing housing cover-"plate removablysecured to said gearcasing for closing said opening, and a bearing arranged to support eachend of said motor shaft, one of said bearings being an anti-frictionbearing for supporting an end of said motor shaft and having an innerrace mounted on said motor shaft and an outer race mounted on saidbearing housing cover plate, said outer race and anti-friction bearingbeing secured as a unit to said gear casing bearing housing cover plateand being removable therewith from said gear casing, said inner racebeing constructed and arranged for removal from said motor shaft onremoval of said motor shaft gear from said motor shaft.

4. A geared axle drive including a driving motor having a drive shaft,gearing including a gear mounted on said motor shaft for driving anaxle, a gear casing about said gearing, an opening in a side of saidgear casing away from said motor substantially coaxial with said motorshaft gear, a bearing housing cover plate removably secured to said gearcasing for closing said opening, and a bearing arranged to support eachend of said motor shaft, one of said bearings being an anti-frictionbearing for supporting an end of said motor shaft and having an innerrace mounted on said drive shaft and an outer race mounted on said gearcasing bearing housing cover plate, said outer race and anti-frictionbearing being secured as a unit to said bearing housing cover plate andarranged to be removable therewith from said casing, said inner racebeing constructed and arranged for removal from said motor shaft onremoval of said motor shaft gear from said motor shaft.

5. A gear drive including a drive shaft, a gearing including a gearmounted on said shaft, a gear casing about said gearing, an openinglarger than said shaft gear formed in a side of said gear casingsubstantially coa-Xially with said shaft gear, a bearing housing coverplate removably secured to said gear casing for closing said opening,and an anti-friction bearing for supporting an end of said shaft andhaving an inner race mounted on said drive shaft and an outer racemounted on said bearing cover plate, said outer race and anti-frictionbearing being secured as a unit to said bearing housing cover plate andarranged removable therewith from said casing, means for securing a gearpuller to said shaft gear, said gear puller securing means including athreaded portion larger than said inner race adapted to engage saidinner race and arranged to provide for securing a gear puller to saidgear over said inner race for removal of said inner race from said shaftby removal of said gear from said shaft.

6. A gear drive including a drive shaft, a gearing including a gearmounted on said shaft, a gear casing about said gearing, an openinglarger than said shaft gear formed in a side of said gear casingsubstantially coaxially with said shaft gear, a bearing housing coverplate removably secured to said gear casing for closing said opening,and an anti-friction bearing for supporting an end of said shaft andhaving an inner race mounted on said drive shaft and an outer racemounted on said bearing cover plate, said outer race and anti-frictionbearing being secured as a unit to said bearing housing cover plate andbeing. removable therewith from said casing, means for securing a gearpuller to said shaft gear, said inner race being constructed andarranged on said shaft to provide for securing a gear puller to saidshaft without removal of said inner race and for removal from said shafton removal of said shaft gear from said shaft.

JAMES C. RI-IOADS.

